Man arrested in drug bust headed for trial

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on December 15, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

An Edmonton man accused of selling drugs in Lethbridge earlier this year is headed for trial, but not until next year.

Dehandre Mabior Sayed pleaded not guilty in Lethbridge court of justice to two charges of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime.

Calgary lawyer Kirsten Lancee told court that despite resolution discussions between the defence and Crown, they were unable to resolve the charges, and on Thursday Lancee elected to have the accused tried in the Alberta Court of Justice.

The trial is expected to take more than one day, which will require a pretrial conference to discuss issues and schedule trial dates. The matter has been adjourned until Jan. 11 to confirm those dates.

Sayed was arrested and charged last March after Lethbridge police seized nearly $150,000 worth of drugs at a city residence.

A short-term investigation by the crime suppression team, led police to the arrest of the 20-year-old suspect, and during a search of a northside residence police found narcotic medications, about 625 grams of fentanyl worth $112,000, nearly 400 grams of cocaine worth $37,000, more than $3,100 cash and a vehicle.

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